These illustrations appear in Ehon mizu ya sora (“Picture Book of Water and Sky”). Published in 1780 and illustrated by the Osaka artist known as Nichōsai (c. 1751-1803), the Japanese book caricatures famous kabuki actors (yakusha-e) from Osaka, Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo). The images are in a minimalist and humorous manner exemplary of the ‘toba-e’ style, a forerunner of modern manga.
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Images courtesy of the National Diet Library, Tokyo: NDL Image Bank, National Diet Library, Japan (https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/imagebank) | @ndlimagebank
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